I was watching Herzog’s “Lo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected World” documentary (which was ok), but there was one interesting hypothetical that was thrown into discussion, and that’s whether the internet itself may eventually become self-aware, or is becoming as we speak, or whether it has already become (which brings the question as to to how would we even recognize it...in the documentary Zerzog asks whether the internet is dreaming of iself). Now, all of this is very hypothetical, but if that were possible, how would we recognize it? In humans, the process of emerging self-awareness can be (arguably) broken down into five stages: http://www.psychology.emory.edu/cogniti ... levels.pdf

One of the observed first reactions to the state of self-awareness in humans (in mirror tests) is embarrassment and shame. Now, I don’t expect AI to feel embarrassed in any sense, or have an impulse to hide itself as it becomes self-aware (again, all of this is hypothetical), but it may be in a state of confusion (temporary or permanently) which may manifest in glitches or slowing down of the processes (or it may halt completely). Without programming to follow, would it experience fear or its equvalent? Maybe. Also, because the internet is driven by humans, would the hypothetical emerging self-aware entity be partly made of collective human consciousness? It may be natural to assume so, but perhaps it would overcome it completely and see itself as completely unique entity. (After all, we do not generally identify ourselves with monkeys, although we do see resemblances).

Pandora wrote:I was watching Herzog’s “Lo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected World” documentary (which was ok), but there was one interesting hypothetical that was thrown into discussion, and that’s whether the internet itself may eventually become self-aware, or is becoming as we speak, or whether it has already become (which brings the question as to to how would we even recognize it...in the documentary Zerzog asks whether the internet is dreaming of iself). Now, all of this is very hypothetical, but if that were possible, how would we recognize it? In humans, the process of emerging self-awareness can be (arguably) broken down into five stages: http://www.psychology.emory.edu/cogniti ... levels.pdf

One of the observed first reactions to the state of self-awareness in humans (in mirror tests) is embarrassment and shame. Now, I don’t expect AI to feel embarrassed in any sense, or have an impulse to hide itself as it becomes self-aware (again, all of this is hypothetical), but it may be in a state of confusion (temporary or permanently) which may manifest in glitches or slowing down of the processes (or it may halt completely). Without programming to follow, would it experience fear or its equvalent? Maybe. Also, because the internet is driven by humans, would the hypothetical emerging self-aware entity be partly made of collective human consciousness? It may be natural to assume so, but perhaps it would overcome it completely and see itself as completely unique entity. (After all, we do not generally identify ourselves with monkeys, although we do see resemblances).

It probably have to pass the mirror test first, like Narcissus recognizing himself apart from another. But computer simulation programming already is built on differentiation between hard and soft drives, and sticking a camera inside a computer, would not anything new to its ability to think for itself in terms of possessing different systems within. This assumptive generalization would by bypassed, just as in human consciousness mirroring within a mathematically augmented matrix, run over and over and over again, would upon a large number of pattern recognitions, would build on those quantified patterns the first logically identifiable identity.

That's my guess, and now will read the steps to self recognition, without reading it first.

Reason being, as I once described to St.James, that the brain can only be programmed to receive from generalization to particularization. I don't remember his exact reaction or comment.Now I will read the steps you mention.

Pandora wrote:Also, because the internet is driven by humans, would the hypothetical emerging self-aware entity be partly made of collective human consciousness? It may be natural to assume so, but perhaps it would overcome it completely and see itself as completely unique entity. (After all, we do not generally identify ourselves with monkeys, although we do see resemblances).

Interesting topic. My guess is that the hypothetical emerging self-aware entity is partly made of human consciousness and that it will be able to overcome it's reliance on humans to see itself as a completely unique entity. The monkeys require deeper thought however.